In a tragic turn of events, the body of an Australian man who went missing while fishing with his friends has been found inside a crocodile. The incident occurred at Kennedy’s Bend, a well-known crocodile habitat in North Queensland, on Saturday.
The police launched a search for Kevin Darmody, a 65-year-old experienced fisherman and well-known figure among the people of the Cape York peninsula. After two days of searching the area, the police killed two large crocodiles and found human remains inside only one of the hides.
Although the identity of the body has not yet been confirmed, the police have stated that it marks a “sad end” to the search for Darmody. The fishermen who were with him at the time did not witness the attack but heard him howl, followed by a loud noise.
Crocodile attacks are rare in this temperate part of northern Australia, although they are common. Darmody’s death marks the 13th fatal crocodile attack in Queensland since 1985, when the state began collecting data on crocodile attacks. In 2017, a woman went missing in the town of Port Douglas, and it was reported that she was killed by a crocodile. In 2016, a woman was attacked and killed by a crocodile in the Daintree National Park.
Since poaching was banned in 1974, Queensland’s crocodile population has increased from around 5,000 to more than 30,000 today. Under the Queensland government’s crocodile management program, “problem crocodiles” are removed from areas where they pose a danger to the public, and sometimes killed.
The Northern Territory (NT), home to the world’s largest population of crocodiles in the wild, sees a much higher number of “problem crocodiles” and crocodile attacks than Queensland. Despite publicity campaigns urging people to be wary of crocodiles near rivers, the northern region has generally seen between one and two deaths from crocodile attacks each year since 2005, although there has been no such death since 2018.
The tragic incident serves as a reminder of the dangers that lurk in the wilderness of Australia’s north and the need to exercise caution while enjoying its natural beauty.